Tag Archives: Holiday

About a month ago I was at Bloomingdale’s at The Shops at Riverside in Northern New Jersey to do a food demonstration for a women’s event. I was asked to feature recipes that would be great for Thanksgiving, but with a healthy lean. So, I cooked up a Winter Squash & Pepper Soup recipe. The soup was one of three recipes I prepared that evening. Needless to say, that soup stole the show.

So, as we are nearing the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to make the recipe available so you can add some seasonal warmth to your holiday table. And who doesn’t love butternut squash with its savory, rich, and creamy flesh?

Check out the recipe below for the perfect start to your Thanksgiving eats!

Winter Squash & Pepper Soup

2 medium butternut squash, rough cubed

2 yellow bell peppers, rough cubed

1 medium sweet onion, rough cubed

1 cup light cream

1 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, roasted and shelled

1/3 teaspoons ground allspice

sea salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

water (to cover)

Method

Place butternut squash, bell pepper and onion in a large dutch oven, cover with water, and bring to boil. Boil for about 20 minutes.

Remove from stove and let cool. Do not discard water!

Using a blender, in batches, add cooked butternut squash, bell pepper, onion and water from boiling, and puree.

Doing everything yourself is typically not a good idea. Add in the hectic pace of the holidays and you have a recipe for disaster.

In today’s marketplace, more companies exist than ever before to help busy consumers manage the times, seasons and events in their lives. This time of year in particular can be downright daunting. The triple crownof holidays as I refer to them – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s – while filled with food, drink and merriment, might leave a bitter taste in your mouth when you consider all that has to get done. How then do you stop the madness from wreaking havoc in your life? You hire for the holidays!

Here are three great reasons why outsourcing is one of the best gifts you can give yourself:

Time

Simply put, hiring a service or company saves you time. And who doesn’t want more of that? The older you get you realize just how precious time is; you can’t stop it, you can’t reverse it, it travels at warp speed, and more importantly, no one knows how much of it they have. Free up time to enjoy the things that matter most and hire for the things you can.

Personalized Service

Any way you want it that’s the way you need it! This line is part of the lyrics from a song by the band Journey, but it is also the embodiment of personalized, experiential service. It’s catering to a client’s specific wishes. The date, time and place of your choosing, with all the accompaniments you desire in a special event. It’s like being queen – or king for a day. You can’t top that!

Elevated Experience

When it comes to going hire for the holidays, having a professional do the work takes things to a whole other level. Professionals bring more to the table – it’s what they do. It’s why you hire them. More expertise, more experience, more knowledge. And you get to tap all of that.

Calling on the pros also elevates the quality of the experience for both you and your guests. For attendees, it’s a statement that highlights the superior service that lies ahead. For you, it’s no more missing out on the actual event. Instead or running around like a chicken with your head cutoff, you get the best of both worlds; playing host while partaking in the festivities like any other attendee.

Think of all the experiential services that exist today? From a culinary standpoint, there’s food shopping, meal delivery, meal kits, private chef and so much more. Then think of all the moments you miss tending to things that would be better off in someone else’s hands. Being present, without being present robs you from truly enjoying the occasion.

Of course there are costs involved. But the value far outweighs the price tag. So, this season pay yourself first by paying a professional to serve you. It’s our labor of love.

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For Jamaicans, Christmas is synonymous with Rum Cake. You simply cannot get through the year end holiday season without enjoying at least one slice of this dessert. And chances are if you’re eating rum cake you are not stopping at just one slice. Here are seven food facts about Jamaican Rum Cake to chew on:

Referred to as Fruit Cake

As the name suggests, the main ingredient is fruit; candied, chopped fruit consisting of orange peels and pineapple, along with raisins and cherries. But unlike other traditional fruit cakes, Jamaican Rum Cakes are made with grounded or pureed fruits for a smooth consistency.

Also called Black Cake and Christmas Cake

It is the choice for wedding cake in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. Because of its popularity at weddings, it is sometimes referred to as Wedding Cake.

Dark in color

Color ranges from dark brown to black. If you’re not careful, you’ll mistake it for a chocolate cake at first glance. In some cases, depending how it is cut, it can resemble brownie too.

Traditionally a very dense cake

Made with rum and wine

Fruits are soaked in wine [and rum] for many weeks or even months prior to baking.

Today, like most other products, rum cakes come in all shapes and sizes, including cupcake. For example our JADE cupcakes feature minis as well as standard cupcake size, and with a variety of icings.